Saturday night I moved my 1995 E320 Wagon to a parking spot with its nose pointed down hill. I went out yesterday morning to start it, and it DID NOT want to start. It eventually started but was making a horrid ticking from the back of the motor. I turned it off and let it coast down to level ground, restarted it (it started fine), but was still ticking. It sounds like a lifter ticking (or a valve?), I let it run for a bit(less than a minute) and it didnt stop so I turned it off. Started it again, and it is still ticking! I pulled the valve cover for inspection and with cam lobes up on the exhaust valves on the rear cylinder, one of the lifters sits a little lower than the one beside it. Does this mean the lifter is just stuck, or is the valve the problem? Should I put it back together and just let it run in hopes that it will go away as mysteriously as it manifested? I am currently unemployed so I have lots of time but not much money to deal with this issue, but dont want to jepordize the health of this 150k motor. I saw were one other member had posted about a very similar issue, but never an outcome...please, please advise

Just to let everyone know, Monday I went out with a feeler gauge and checked my cam to lifter clearance. Everything seems fine, it appears as though the lifter has 'pumped' itself back up. I dunno what in the hell happened, but after my valve cover set gets here I am putting it back together and crossing my fingers....

This has been my experience with an m103 engine- at home my parking spot points the car downhill. In the morning it starts fine, but 9 times out of 10 lifter(s) will tick until the oil pressure comes up. My theory is that I have more than one lifter that has collapsed or something, and when I shut the engine off in the evening the valvetrain by happenstance lands on one. Downhill parking probably exacerbates the issue, but I've had it tick when parked on level ground as well. Sometimes though, even while parked downhill, it doesn't tick on startup, but only sometimes.
My solution is to not lose any sleep over it, and just use a good synthetic oil with a zinc additive for the valvetrain's health. I use Shell Rotella synthetic 5w-40 for diesels. Sometimes changing to an oil like this will eliminate the ticking but in my case it has not. I just know and understand that this engine has 150k on it and the lifters will tick, but as long as I keep good oil in it it won't hurt anything. I haven't needed a head gasket yet but when(if) that happens, if I still own the car, I will take the opportunity to renew the cylinder head completely, including replacing the lifters. It's no big deal. You have bigger issues to deal with, just change to a good oil with zinc in it to protect your valvetrain.

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'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

You and I are in the same boat...150k and no need for the headgasket yet ( knock wood). I also use Shell Rotella for the same reasons and am very happy with it. This was an unusual and alarming ticking, that is now completely gone...go figure.